The series finale of Game of Thrones has come and gone, and it did not disappoint! Things were set up nicely for a second series despite the main character and actor being killed off in the previous ep. There was so much going on and lines being drawn that you don't notice there's a stand out protagonist: the shades of grey, not black and white. Plot wise, we have learn that Dany's child died, but was sacrificed by the witch to "save" Drogo, who was in a vegetative state. Dany smothers Drogo rather than let him be a vegetable, and burns him and the witch as a sacrifice, before going into the fire herself with her dragon eggs. The next morning, Jorah finds her unharmed, with three baby dragons, a species believed to be extinct. Seeing the dragons, Jorah and the khalasar make her their new Khal. It was this scene that took up most of the episode and ended the series, and what a way to end it. Emilia Clarke was great as the coming of age heiress to the Targaryen legacy, showing grief and anger at the deaths of her son and husband, coldness at the Witch's suffering and confidence as she steps into the fire. I dismissed this plot line as tedious and predictable last month, and how wrong I was! First we get Harry Lloyd brilliantly humanizing an incestuous demon in Viserys as he gets the "golden crown", then we get Drogo giving his rousing war speech, before the program swerves us and kills him off. And then this happens; George RR Martin, take a bow!
Elsewhere, Tywin Lannister is in a state after losing the war to Robb Stark and learning that Jaime has been captured by the enemy. So he sends Tyrion to act as Hand to the King in his stead, which moves that subplot along nicely for series 2. And the more we see of Tyrion's woman, Shae, the better. Speaking of the king, Joffrey is a frightening bastard. A poisonous villain if ever there was one. It's bad enough he has Ned killed, but he brags about it to Stark's daughter and his future queen, Sansa, who he then had a servant hit for talking back to him. A mad king indeed. Jack Gleason plays him as a mad, creepy, psychopath who is uncontrollable. A delightful creation.
Speaking of bastards, Jon Snow tries to desert the Wall after learning of his father's death, eager to kill Joffrey. However, he is convinced to stay by his friends, and later joins the Night Watch go beyond the Wall to find Benjen and fight the White Walkers. Speaking of the Wall, Arya, having been sneaked out of King's Landing by Yoren, looks to be joining the Night's Watch alongside Chris from Skins (UK). Finally, Robb is declared as "King in the North" by his bannermen after their victory over the Lannisters, and Catelyn learns that Jaime tried to kill Bran all the way back at the start of the series. So much possibility for the second. Are that still going to call it Game of Thrones, or Clash of Kings, after the book?
One gripe I had was the amount of unneeded "filler" scenes to pad out the hour. There was a scene showing Cersei in bed with her cousin that showed no purpose except that she won't learn that incest is wrong, especially if you're in the Royal Family. There was also three pointless exposition scenes, one involving Bran teaching Osha about his ancestors, one where Grand Maester gives a lecture to a whore about past kings, and one where Varys and Littlefinger talk about how their roles in government are the same, no matter who the king is. Is this necessary in the series finale? Other than that, I'll be looking forward to series 2. I'm currently reading the book in the meantime to quench my thirst.
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